Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fraser for his question. He joined me, with the member for Canberra, Senator Kate Lundy and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, at the War Memorial this morning to make an important announcement. I was at the War Memorial last week when the new Hall of Valour was opened. It was a very great privilege to be there with our VC holders—three very gallant Australians. It was a very great privilege to be there and to have the opportunity to speak. I described the traditions of the War Memorial and I recalled John Curtin’s famous words that it is the ‘sanctuary of Australia’s traditions’. I endorse those words today, as I did when I spoke at the opening of the Hall of Valour last week. I believe all members in this place, indeed all Australians, want to see the War Memorial properly resourced and maintaining its fantastic reputation as sacred ground for Australians and a place they can go to reflect on the costs and consequences of war and to admire the acts of courage, bravery and mateship that our forces have engaged in in every conflict that they have been involved in.

In the course of last year, I became concerned about the long-term funding arrangements of the War Memorial. I wanted to see the War Memorial on a sustainable footing for the future. I also wanted to make sure that when we celebrate the centenary of Anzac in 2015—it is preparation time as such a significant national and international event is not far away—the War Memorial has available to it the resources to do the job. Consequently, late last year I asked the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and the Minister for Finance and Deregulation to do the job properly, to work with the War Memorial, to work with the department and to make some decisions about long-term sustainable funding. I did not want to see a result which was worked out on the back of an envelope. I wanted proper advice and a proper and thorough look at the funding of the Australian War Memorial.

In line with that review undertaken by the minister for finance and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, I today announced that we will add $8 million per year to the funding of the War Memorial. This will join the $38 million already allocated to the War Memorial and will be indexed for the future. This is important for sustainability over time. But we also now need to be making appropriate preparations and arrangements for the centenary of Anzac commemorations in 2015. In addition, today I announce that I am appointing the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs as a minister assisting me with the preparation of the centenary of Anzac commemorations and that we will allocate an extra $1.7 million to the War Memorial to enable it to revamp its exhibition of the First World War. As we move towards the centenary, more and more Australians will want to see that exhibition. I want it to be in first-class shape, and I know that the Australian War Memorial staff will do an excellent job with preparing that exhibition for 2015.

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